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B550 is one of the newest AMD chipsets. It’s here to replace it’s predecessor B450 and to be used with Ryzen 3000 and upcoming Ryzen 4000 series. Even though B550 motherboards are more expensive, in most cases they provide quite a huge improvement on VRM and some additional features.
And today I have one of the top mid-range boards ASRock B550 EXTREME4. We will dive into the main features of this board so, after this video, you will be able to decide if this one is for you.
But if this is your first time on my blog, On Epic Game Tech I share my passion in Gaming PC Builds, unboxing parts and helping you guys by posting simple how-to guides.
Are you ready? Let’s go!
So, this is B550 EXTREME4 motherboard from ASRock. It’s quite similar to another B550 ASRock motherboard Steel Legend. It actually shares the same VRM but different looks and a few additional features.
- At first, I will do an unboxing of EXTREME4 motherboard;
- Then I will walk through an IO;
- And finally, we will check internal headers and features this motherboard has to offer.
Unboxing
Let’s do some quick unboxing and check on what is included in the box.
- First of all, we have a software setup guide and a quick installation guide. In case you will be building a PC for the first time, this will definitely help you out, especially when connecting front IO panel.
- Even nowadays you get a DVD with drivers. But I always recommend getting the latest ones from an official website since the included ones can be outdated already.
- Aaaand you also get a sticker and a postcard. A postcard, that’s right!
- Next, we have several included tiny m.2 screws and a few m.2 rizer screws.
- Most of the time, you get two SATA cables for your storage, but in this case, Asrock included 4 cables with this motherboard.
And it’s quite handy to have a few more, in case you are building video editing rig and you will be adding more storage devices later. - There are two included velcro straps. They are quite handy when building a PC as you can organize your cables more easily.
And here comes B550 EXTREME4 motherboard. It’s packed really well and even a few zip ties are used to keep it secure while shipping. This motherboard has a blue colour accent, so you might want to keep that in mind when planning your PC build appearance. Even though I do not think it will be much visible inside of a PC case, especially if you plan to use RGB fans and stuff.
IO Panel
Let’s move on to an IO panel,
- At first, we have HDMI 2.1 in case you decide to use a CPU with integrated graphics;
- Then a ps2 port;
- Two 3rd gen USB Type-A ports;
- Two 2nd gen USB Type-A ports;
- 3nd gen USB Type-A and Type-C ports;
- 2.5 Gigabit LAN;
- A few more 2nd gen USB ports;
- 7.1 channel audio;
- And an optical out port.
So in terms of USB ports, you will have quite plenty of them and a 2.5 Gigabit LAN is a nice upgrade over a b450 chipset motherboards.
Other Features
Let’s have a look at motherboard headers and other features it provides.
This is where we can feel a really big difference from a b450 motherboards. EXTREME4 has a 14 phase VRM covered by decent heatsinks. This should be enough even for an overclocked 16 core, Ryzen 9 3950x. It actually doesn’t matter which CPU you will be running since you are covered here.
What about your storage? In total, you have 6 SATA ports for your SDD or HDD drives as well as two m.2 storage slots for your fast NVME drives.
Both m.2 slots are covered with armour and one of them supports PCIe Gen4 NVME drives with crazy fast speeds.
There is one more m.2 slot, but it’s meant for a WiFi or Bluetooth module.
As in a standard ATX motherboard, you have 4 DIMM slots that support up to 128 GB of ram and speeds of 4733 MHz.
In case you like RGB stuff, this board has you covered as well, as it features two 12v RGB headers and two 5v addressable RGB headers. As well as it has some integrated RGB lights on board itself.
And one of the best things about this motherboard, it has a debug LED, the power and a reset button. This is handy especially if you are using it on a test bench or playing around with overclocking. And you certainly will in case you consider this motherboard.
Are you planning to use quite a few fans? ASRock B550 EXTREME4 has seven 4pin headers – one for your CPU, another one for a pump and 5 more for additional case fans.
Regarding internal USB headers – it has a few 2nd gen, one 3rd gen and one USB type-c header.
All in all, this is a really great board. It will handle any currently available AM4 platform CPU and has quite a good upgrade path for upcoming new Ryzen series. But I recommend getting this motherboard in case you are planning to use it with Ryzen 9 processors since it’s a bit of an overkill for a Ryzen 5 or 7 CPUs. Unless you specifically need certain features this board can offer.
I’m planning to make a few more B550 motherboard overviews for different price points, so stay tuned.
Alternatives
But for now, I can share a few recommendations from my side.
MSI B550 GAMING PLUS or MSI B550 A-Pro boards are a bit cheaper alternatives you can get with a decent VRM and overclocking capabilities.
These boards can handle an overclocked 3950x as well, but you will lose some features like onboard power and reset as well as debug led.
In case you are looking for a good Micro ATX motherboard, MSI B550M Bazooka (you can find Bazooka overview here) is a good choice for Ryzen 5 or Ryzen 7, while MSI B550M MORTAR is a way to go in case you need the best mATX motherboard for your Ryzen7 or Ryzen 9 system.
But if you are looking for more of a budget option, say for your Ryzen 5, you could get ASRock B550M Pro4 or MSI B550M PRO-VDH WIFI as these two are the best value budget options you can get.
I hope you guys enjoyed B550 EXTREME4 motherboard overview and you can find even more PC unboxing posts here.
Motherboard links @ Amazon
ASRock B550 EXTREME4 – https://geni.us/AAcYi
MSI B550-A PRO – https://geni.us/S352aX
MSI MPG B550 GAMING PLUS – https://geni.us/FzEHlBR
MSI MAG B550M MORTAR WIFI – https://geni.us/fFXo5A
Asrock B550 PRO4 – https://geni.us/8MAX4
MSI B550M PRO-VDH WIFI – https://geni.us/xcdBA
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